Though scheduling issues forced Nicki Minaj to drop out of Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth tour this summer, the pair did eventually get to hook up on "Raining Men," a track that will appear on the singer's forthcoming album, Loud. And from the way RiRi praises the up-and-coming Minaj, this won't be their last time working together.

"You know, I worked with her before on [2009's] Rated R and she was just writing me some really good ballads, and I couldn't wait to work with her again and finally have her on my record," Rihanna told Capital FM.

The singer also noted in the interview that she loves Nicki's completely over-the-top persona. "She has a great buzz and she has a 'thing' to her. She is a star and that's why people love her. She's also really entertaining with her visual as well as her lyrics, and she has a great melody."

She was quick to point out, though, that Nicki is also a truly talented artist. "I'm really amazed that she can write like that. [Nicki] not only raps but she can write songs too," Rihanna explained. "It was really easy actually. We were going back and forth with the texts on how we were going to get to do it because we were in two different places and had two opposite schedules."

As for the album, after a mixed reaction to Rated R, Rihanna has noted that she stepped up her game for this next effort. "I made sure not to let you down with my music! You guys are always defending me, so now you've got some great songs to justify it," Rihanna told fans back in September when she announced the title of her forthcoming release. "I didn't want to go backward and remake [2007's] Good Girl Gone Bad. I wanted the next step in the evolution of Rihanna, and it's perfect for us."

Besides the Minaj collaboration, Rihanna also hooked up with Drake for a remix version of "What's My Name" that will appear as a bonus track on Loud. The album is scheduled to hit stores on November 16.